Weekly Bread #271

It has been a good week. I did 3 hikes for a total of a little more than 16 miles and spent a day caring for my 2 month old grand-daughter. (We are trying to keep her sweet face off of the wider web, but trust me, she is gorgeous and smart and strong – especially for such a tiny human being.) I understand the word “doting” much better now. Also “besotted”.

Taking care of an infant is different of course than going on a difficult hike, but both can be a lot of work. Both are well worth the effort though in order to be a witness to the miracle of life. There truly is much to be thankful for in this sometimes difficult world. A baby’s needs are so simple. Feed me, change me, hold me, play with me, and then let me sleep when I get tired. Aren’t those things we all need? Change doesn’t have to mean just a clean diaper. Instead, maybe something new, maybe even transformation. Miracles abound.

L’Chaim!

My average weight this week was up 1.2 pounds for a total loss of 135.5 

Weekly Bread #270

Weekly Bread #270

I finally got to do two real hikes this week! Not terribly long, 5 miles was the most, but I was out and among the flowers. Spring is here and I was well enough to see and hold my two month old (today) granddaughter. There is joy in this complex and crazy world. New life is always a miracle. Today I will see colleagues at a local installation ceremony. We will robe, wear stoles, and process into the sanctuary to help bless a new ministry for that congregation and to show our support for their new minister. No one can do ministry alone. I am both proud and humbled to be a part of this living tradition. Ritual is important. Covenant is important. Ministers are in covenant with the congregations they serve and also with each other.

A covenant is basically an aspirational promise or a vow. Something you have pledged, to others, to yourself, or to God. It is not easy, and sometimes covenants are bent, stretched, and sometimes even broken. Mostly even broken covenants can be repaired, they can be revised and renewed and even become stronger in the process. Ministries like marriages go through hard times, and some come out of those troubles stronger and deeper. Others fail. Some may even need to fail. Even then, a covenant can be dissolved, if not with joy, then with a calm acceptance than the relationship needs to end.

I made a covenant with myself in 2018 about losing the weight that was contributing to my rapidly declining health. I lost over 180 pounds in two years and have now been slowly gaining some of it back. That is OK, except if my health begins to be affected agin. My A1C going up, just a hair, a tenth of a point, above to normal range, was enough to call me back into that covenant I made with my body and myself. It seems to be working. Covenants can powerful things. They can change lives. They have changed mine.

L’Chaim!

My average weight this week was down 2.3 pounds for a total loss of 136.7 

Weekly Bread #269

There are elders in the redwood forests. Scarred by fire and battered by the wind and rain, they still stand tall. I wonder if the younger trees go to them for advice on how to survive? The world is different now, even in the forest. The fires are hotter, the temperatures more extreme. The old ways may not continue to suffice, the young trees must learn to adapt in ways the old ones can’t imagine.

But still, these ancient trees stand, reaching to the sky, birth new life from their roots so that life will continue when they eventually fall. They understand their place in (Mary Oliver’s} family of things.

I saw my doctor again this week because I am still tired and congested and appalled that I am not completely well after 6 weeks. She ordered blood work, but said (quite kindly) that the older you are the longer it takes to recover from an illness. The blood work came back mostly OK, although my A1C was up a bit, which is something to watch, but I am, as she said, pretty healthy for my age.

Slowly, thoughtfully, and sometimes reluctantly, I am learning the role of elder. My nickname was “Tree” when I was young – the 3 syllables of “Theresa” being too long for some of my young peers I guess – so I have always had an affinity for trees. But am I an oak, a redwood, or an apricot tree? Can I become all three as the need arises? It is necessary to have faith in the possibility of transformation.

L’Chaim!

My average weight this week was down 1.7 pounds for a total loss of 134.4 

Weekly Bread #268

Some things in nature remind us of how small we really are. I was able to do a couple of short hikes this week. The longest was only 5 miles and it wore me out. I don’t recover as quickly as I did when I was younger. We were down in Monterrey and the restaurants and my inability to really hit the trails gave me my highest weekly weight gain since I have been keeping track. Not good, because the extra weight will slow me down even more. Maybe it is past time to reset before I get as old and as large as that massive redwood tree. Although that would be impressive I believe.

L’Chaim!

My average weight this week was up 3.5 pounds for a total loss of 132.7